


you were the one to tell me go

by laireshi



Category: Marvel Ultimates
Genre: Fix-It, M/M, Twincest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-12
Updated: 2013-09-12
Packaged: 2017-12-26 08:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/963800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/pseuds/laireshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has the Infinity Gems in his hands, the ultimate power -- it's pretty obvious what he wishes for, when he can bring back the dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you were the one to tell me go

**Author's Note:**

> The newest Ultimates issue just about killed me.  
> I had to write it.
> 
> the title is from Serj Tankian's Saving Us

The last gem connects with his helmet – _Anthony_ , he thinks, but there's no answer, and then – he can't really describe what happens next.

He feels the rush of power even though, technically, he's still just a stream of data.

"Great. Now. Body," he says and just like that looks down from the armour at his own body – and well, he's not exactly new to this whole looking at himself thing, he had a twin for god's sake, even if that twin was blonde and apparently evil and... Tony feels (is) omnipotent for a moment. He thinks, _live_ , and then he's no longer looking down at himself, but he is taking in a shuddering breath. He stands up, a little shaky still, and then it hits him; the power rushing in his veins with no bounds. He could do anything, wish Reed out of existence, fix everything Reed did to the world...

Something happens.

He sees what he realizes are other universes and realities: himself with something glowing in his chest, weird armour designs, himself again – in _space_? Wow – more armours, and then the astonishing feeling of power disappears and the gems just shatter, as if they were made of glass.

"You've doomed us all," Reed says, shaking all over, and Tony just laughs.

They won, but he feels empty.

He works without break until he finishes a prison cell that would hold Reed when he was still gems-enhanced, never mind now. He takes some satisfaction out of finally closing him there and doesn't know what to do later. They have so much of the world to rebuild . They need to get ready for whatever comes next, because Reed was insane, and Kang probably doubly so, but Tony saw the other universes for a brief second, and that shouldn't have been possible. They aren't safe (but when were they ever, so what else is new?), something is happening to the universe, and Tony thinks he needs a break. But so does everyone else (though he's the only one who actually died), he knows that, and they don't have time to indulge themselves.

Cap isn't the president anymore, but he feels responsible ( _of course_ he does) and he travels along the country, trying to calm everyone down and help with reorganizing everything. Thor, powerful once again, helps where they need his strength. Fury and Chang plot. Nothing new.

Tony closes himself in the lab and tries to salvage their technology, use what's left of Reed's and move the world forward again, because that's what he does.

He doesn't think of the silence in his head in place of Anthony's happy questions.

He's elbows deep in a Herbietron when the door to his lab opens with a hiss.

He's pretty sure he locked the door, the biometric lock on; no one should be able to bother him. He doesn't have time to rest, but he can – and should – immerse himself down in technology.

"I'm busy," he says without turning back.

"And he'll help you or I'll put a bullet in his head for a change," Fury growls. Tony sighs in frustration.

"I don't need help," he snaps, but looks back at whoever it is Fury deemed appropriate to threaten into working with Tony.

He doesn't drop the screwdriver he's holding, but it's a close call. He wonders briefly if maybe he hasn't worked for too long and he's started hallucinating now.

He's also pretty sure if it were a hallucination, it wouldn't include Fury.

"Gregory."

Greg is dead, Tony knows that. He gave the permission to turn the machines off, he went to the funeral, Greg is dead. Greg is also standing next to Fury in plain clothes (still white, but worn out, not blindingly clean; he must hate it) and smirking at him.

"Stark boys are hard to kill, as I see," Fury looks at him, as if expecting to hear an explanation.

Tony doesn't have one – except he has. He remembers thinking of Greg while looking at his own corpse, he remembers ordering himself to live; and the gems, they weren't that easy to order, they did what they wished to do, or what they thought you wished for, like an evil genie from old tales.

Greg is alive and hasn't taken his eyes off Tony, and still hasn't said a word. Tony feels he can't breathe.

"I'm way too charming to be killed," he forces out. "The world couldn't go on."

"Keep telling yourself that," Fury snorts and leaves, and just like that, Tony is alone with his twin.

Greg saunters to him, like nothing happened, like he didn't fucking die, like he didn't try to kill him before that; like he didn't leave Tony –

"Don't touch it," he says sharply when Greg reaches for a spare screwdriver. He gets an incredulous look in response.

"I'm not gonna attack you with a screwdriver, little brother," Greg says and picks it up before Tony has the chance to put it further away.

Tony tries to suppress a shudder _. Greg is alive_ , he's here, they can talk again, touch again, they're together again - as they should be.

He wishes for a drink. Bringing back good alcohol, a project for another time.

"Of course no, Gregory, that would be too simple for you," he answers. He wonders what happened to Greg's nanites. They're probably gone, Greg wouldn't have let Fury threaten him otherwise; he is too proud for that. Tony wants to ask what happened to Greg – he knows the truth, yes, but he wants the other side of the story – and forces himself not to.

"I don't need you here," he says and winces as soon as the words are out of his mouth. The lie is too obvious; if he didn't need him, Greg would still be dead - but maybe he doesn't know that.

Gregory laughs. "You're a lousy liar, brother."

Or maybe he does. What does it even matter? Both of them died for a while, even if Greg didn't get to learn to live without Tony. Would he even care?

Greg shoves him away from the Herbietrone, leans over it and pulls of the casing Tony had some problems with. _Benefit of a fresh sight_ , he tells himself, and doesn't, absolutely doesn't think of how they used to work in a lab together all the time when they were teenagers, bouncing ideas off each other, almost reading each other's mind.

He doesn't, except he rarely had so much fun later.

"What are you doing, Greg?" he asks tiredly. His thoughts still circle around _Gregory is back_ , but he doesn't let it colour his words. Doesn't show weakness. Not to Greg, not anymore.

"Helping you, little brother. You obviously can't do anything alone," he answers and returns to poking at the robot.

"I'm doing all right, thank you."

Greg doesn't even spare him a look, changes his screwdriver for a pair of wire cutters, and Tony was doing so good at this whole 'don't mention he was dead' thing, but enough is enough.

"Look at me," he says quietly. Greg stills, but doesn't turn.

"Look at me, Gregory," Tony repeats and there's something dangerous in his voice.

Greg puts his tools down and looks at Tony, one eyebrow raised and a polite smile on his face. "You were always so craving for attention, Tony. I hoped you grew out of it, but alas..."

Tony slams their mouths together.

"Shut up, Greg," he says when he stops for breath. "Just shut up."

"Why, I thought you missed me. Isn't that why I'm here?" Greg mocks.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tony lies easily, knowing that Greg knows and not caring at all. Greg hand is on his hip, and it's good, it's nice, it's – dangerous and probably wrong, but when have they ever let it stop them, and _Greg is alive_ –

"You do realize," Greg breathes against his mouth, "that once the universe isn't in danger of ultimate destruction..."

Tony kisses him to shut him up, again. "I thought you didn't care about such trivial things, brother," he says, and doesn't let Greg answer with another kiss.

He should back off now, but he can't force himself to let Greg go, not after these long months of being alone, and he missed _him_ more than good champagne, good whisky, every bottle of old wine. He's got his hands fisted in Greg's shirt and he really should, but doesn't let go, because if he did, he'd hug him instead, and he's not that far gone yet.

Greg must be reading his mind somehow, because he smirks at him and shoves him away.

"Work, Tony," he says and moves to the table again. Tony forces himself to breathe steadily for a moment, doesn't try to pull Greg closer once more. He enjoys taking apart evil robots, too. Though...

"You're doing it wrong," he muses, looking at the way Greg is trying to pull out the wires from one joint. "He used a kinda interesting lock here..."

Greg looks up, clearly annoyed.

"And the second layer isn't even welded, you won't cut it with..."

Greg looks murderous, but apparently gets the point and kisses him to make him quiet, and Tony can live with that.


End file.
